Liqueurs for Valentine's Day

Sweets for this special day

Liqueurs for Valentine's DayThinking about how to prepare for Valentine’s Day is like playing a game of word association. Sensual? Chocolate. Romantic? Flowers. Wine? Red. Cocktails? Sweet. Oh, so sweet. Like it or not, Valentine’s Day is the day when all of our cravings for smoky whiskies and smooth gins are drowned out by the saccharine power of the liqueur. As much as we try to fight it, we’re inevitably knocked out by the sweet and sensual kick of a good liqueur, mixed with as many ingredients as possible (regardless of how well they mix), typically resulting in a pink or red libation. Crooked chemistry at its best.

Admittedly, I harp a lot on sweet cocktails and spirits. I don’t have an overly active sweet tooth, so while many people reasonably lean towards drinks that mask the flavor of alcohol with sugar, I reach for something more on the bitter and boozy side—a drink that really shows off whatever alcohol is being used. However, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I have decided that it is only right to provide you with a list of spirits that most stereotypically defines Valentine’s Day, i.e., liqueurs.

To the untrained eye, these liqueurs may not all come across as “sexy”. But as I tasted through them, I found that they were each incredibly satisfying, which fits the Valentine’s theme in its own way. In fact, we’re fairly certain that if you mix your lover up a fantastic cocktail using one (or all, but not all at once) of these liqueurs, you will sweep them off their boozin’ feet.